Central Mass. by the Numbers

207,621

After seeing the city's population increase 14% from 2010 to 2020, Worcester's estimated 2023 population shows additional growth to 207,621 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2020 census recorded Worcester growing to a population of over 200,000 for the first time since the 1950s. The census put Worcester's population at 206,518, up from its previous recorded peak of 203,486 in the 1950 census. Worcester regained the title of second-largest city in the region in 2007 after edging out Providence by 199. The cities had long held a rivalry over their population sizes and economic growth.

397

After over a year at its 397 Chandler St. location, Black Sheep Bah-Bah-Q is closing permanently. The owners made the announcement in a post on the restaurant's social media platforms. The post did not say when the restaurant's last day is. The restaurant started in 2021 as a roadside trailer in Leicester and later spent two seasons in Spencer. Owners Jennifer Wright and Patrick Flynn of Paxton opened their brick-and-mortar location in January 2023 for dine-in and takeout. The location is the former home of City Bar & Grille and a private club.

$98M

A $98 million redevelopment plan that aims to overhaul a Great Brook Valley block will soon be underway to demolish and replace Curtis Apartments with 129 units. The project, phase one of a four-step plan that is jointly run by the Worcester Housing Authority and developer Trinity Financial, will take eight years. The name of the existing buildings, Curtis Apartments, will remain even after the current 372-unit structures, which date to 1951, are demolished. Originally designed as low-cost homes for returning war veterans and their families, the buildings were eventually used for public housing. The apartments got a $20 million makeover in 2010.

12

When the closing credits roll on its final film, scheduled for May 30, West Boylston Cinema will become the next Central Massachusetts movie house to go permanently black. On July 25, 1997, the cinema opened for business in the Scarlet Brook Plaza off Route 12, in the same shopping complex as Walmart. When asked about the closing, owner Kevin M. Broderick said, “It just had to be done…It was just too much,” adding that it was a difficult decision to make. Broderick said things has gotten “much harder” to run an independent movie house than when he first started.

$15,125

The state has fined a Holden company for not notifying authorities in a timely manner of its release of hazardous materials that contaminated groundwater. Avient Colorants USA LLC, a maker of paints and coatings, was slapped with a $15,125 fine by the state Department of Environmental Protection, according to a state press release. The agency said Avient discovered PFAS in groundwater at the company's property at 85 Industrial Drive but didn't follow state law for timely notification. Besides the fine, Avient must investigate PFAS in groundwater at the company's property and submit a report to the state that is due in June.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Central Mass. by the Numbers